Science – Page 72 – Earthfiles

July 22, 2004March 20, 2019

Is Physicist Vittorio Formisano’s Mars Data Being Suppressed by ESA?

"Speculation is that already methane is a rather strong indicator life is probably present today on Mars. ...Formaldehyde (also detected?) is destroyed in the Martian atmosphere within 7.5 hours. There is no way that formaldehyde can exist and remain for a long time in the Martian atmosphere. If (formaldehyde) confirmed (in addition to the confirmed methane, possibly life on Mars today, yes."

- Vittorio Formisano, Ph.D., Physicist , May 6, 2004

July 22, 2004 - Today I was scheduled to interview physicist Vittorio Formisano at the COSPAR (Committee On Space Research) meeting in Paris where he was scheduled to hold a press conference to announce the final results of his Planetary Fourier Spectrometer mounted on the European Space Agency's (ESA) Mars Express Orbiter.Vittorio Formisano, Ph.D., is the Principal Investigator of the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS) which he built and designed to detect methane and other gaseous molecules. Dr. Formisano is based at the Institute of Physics and Interplanetary Science in Rome, Italy, and has been commuting to ESA offices in Darmstadt, Germany, to gather more data from the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer in hopes that he can confirm the location of one or more sources of the Martian methane, as well as molecular indications of formaldehyde, benzene and ammonia. The presence of those molecules in the Martian atmosphere, would most likely mean a life process of some kind, he told me in my previous May 6, 2004, interview with him while he was working in his Rome office. See: 05-06-04 Earthfiles.

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June 25, 2004March 20, 2019

Wild 2, An Amazing Comet

NASA/JPL reports about January 2, 2004, flyby from 174 miles (236 kilometers): "A composite image of comet Wild-2 shows part of its surface detail overlain on a longer-exposure image that reveals the outgassing jets. Dust and gas stream into space, leaving a trail millions of miles long." Composite image courtesy JPL Stardust and University of Washington.

June 25, 2004 Seattle, Washington - The June 18th issue of the journal Science featured on its cover a comet called "Wild 2." (Pronounced Vilt Two) This comet first showed up in human telescopes in 1974 when its orbit changed from far out at the edge of the solar system to one bobbing around the sun between Mars and Jupiter. Since 1974, Wild 2 has been coming around every six years and NASA and the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena decided it might be a good comet to fly by and sample dust coming off its surface in a search for not only the primordial elements that made our solar system, but for even older "stardust" residues from the bigger universe.

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June 18, 2004March 20, 2019

German Scientist Werner von Braun Anticipated Terrorists, Asteroids and ETs on American “Enemy’s List”

Werner Von Braun, Ph.D., rocket physicist from Germany who lead American space development after WWII.

June 18, 2004 Ventura, California - One of the most famous names from the beginning of the American rocket and missile programs after World War II is Wernher von Braun. With the defeat of Germany and Japan in 1945 after the United States dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Dr. von Braun and 126 other German rocket scientists were brought to the United States under a government project called "Paperclip." They were based at Fort Bliss, Texas and their work was focused at the White Sands Missile Range north of Ft. Bliss in southern New Mexico.

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June 11, 2004March 20, 2019

Cassini Spacecraft Will Rendezvous with Saturn July 1, 2004

Cassini's four year tour of Saturn, its rings, moons and magnetosphere will begin on July 1, 2004. Artist's conception of Cassini, a plutonium-powered spacecraft carrying 12 science instruments and a probe, in orbit around Saturn. Image credit: NASA/JPL.

June 11, 2004 Pasadena, California - Three weeks from now on July 1, 2004, humanity's first spacecraft designed to reach and orbit the rings of Saturn will approach from below the ring plane. Cassini, using small jets to control its flight, will cross through the large gap between the very thin outer F Ring and G Ring.

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June 7, 2004March 20, 2019

Mayan Priest in Guatemala Writes About Rare Venus Transit

"The apparent Path of Venus over the face of the Father Sun (an ecliptic transit in relation to the Sun) has announced (in the past) drastic changes in the Earth, from cataclysms, wars, destruction (lack of food, plagues) to historical changes regarding the evolutionary development of both human beings and the Mother Earth (a destiny that is connected although not intertwined)."

- Carlos Barrios, Mayan Priest, May 2004

June 7, 2004, image of Venus as white dot moving toward sun as it nears June 8, 2004, solar transit. Image courtesy Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).

June 7, 2004 Antigua, Guatemala - About half the people on Earth might be able to see Venus move as a small black dot across the disc of the sun on June 8, 2004. It takes about six hours and you need a sun filter to protect your eyes. Astronomers have seen the rare event only five times before in the 18th and 19th centuries. For U.S. East Coast observers, the transit is underway at sunrise and ends around 7:25 a.m. EDT. The starting and ending times are listed for major cities at http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/Venus2004.pdf.

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May 6, 2004March 20, 2019

Formaldehyde, Ammonia and Benzene Molecules on Mars? Would Probably Mean Life.

"Speculation is that already methane is a rather strong indicator life is probably present today on Mars. Just simply based on methane. ...Formaldehyde is destroyed in the Martian atmosphere within 7.5 hours. There is no way that formaldehyde can exist and remain for a long time in the Martian atmosphere. If (formaldehyde) confirmed, possibly life on Mars today, yes."

- Vittorio Formisano, Ph.D., Physicist

The Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS) mounted on the Mars Express spacecraft in orbit around Mars has already confirmed a surprisingly large amount of methane in the Martian atmosphere. See 03/31/04 Earthfiles. If molecules of formaldehyde, benzene and ammonia are also confirmed, it would definitely mean biological life processes are at work on Mars. ESA 2001 Illustration by Medialab.

May 6, 2004 Rome, Italy - Back on March 31, 2004, I reported at Earthfiles.com that methane measurements in the Martian atmosphere are being analyzed by Physicist Vittorio Formisano, Ph.D., Principal Investigator of the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS) which he built and is mounted on the European Space Agency's (ESA) Mars Express Orbiter designed to detect methane and other gaseous molecules. Dr. Formisano is based at the Institute of Physics and Interplanetary Science in Rome, Italy, and has been commuting to ESA offices in Darmstadt, Germany to gather more data from the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer in hopes that he will be able to confirm the location of one or more sources of the Martian methane. In March, he hoped he would be able to make a definitive statement at the European Geophysical Union (EGU) conference on April 26, 2004, in Nice, France.

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April 16, 2004March 20, 2019

China Launches “Mini” and “Micro” Satellites

China's Long March 11C rocket took off Sunday, April 18, 2004, carrying its "first nanotechnology micro-satellite" and a mini-satellite. Photo © 2004 by Associated Press.

April 19, 2004 Xichang, Sichuan, China - China has launched "Experimental Satellite I," a mini-satellite weighing 93 pounds (204 kilograms) and "Nano-satellite I," a 55-pound (25 kilograms) "micro-satellite" in which metals are bonded at the atomic level. The two satellites are the first of ten that China plans to orbit around the Earth this year and the smallest is a miniature technology breakthrough.

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April 2, 2004March 20, 2019

Updates on Spirit and Opportunity Rovers

Before grinding with the abrasion tool, this approximate true-color image taken by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the rock dubbed "Mazatzal" before the rover drilled into it with its rock abrasion tool. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell.

April 2, 2004 Pasadena, California -

Spirit Rover March 31 - April 1, 2004

NASA/JPL reports that Spirit ended sol 86 at 2:20 p.m. PST on March 31, 2004. The rover applied its flower-like 6-position rock abrasion tool brush mosaic on the rock called "Mazatzal." Below it is the ring drilled previously.

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March 31, 2004March 20, 2019

Methane on Mars – Biology? Volcanic?

Methane (CH4) is a colorless, odorless gas that is the main ingredient of natural gas used for fuel. Methane on Earth is produced by animals, bacteria and decaying organic matter which give off so much that methane is the primary greenhouse gas in our planet's atmosphere.

Methane detected by the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS) on the Mars Express spacecraft in orbit around Mars. ESA 2001 Illustration by Medialab.

March 31, 2004 Darmstadt, Germany - The amount of methane in the Martian atmosphere is estimated to be 10.5 parts per billion, which amounts to 33,000 tons of methane. Methane would be expected to survive as a gas in the Martian atmosphere for about 300 to 350 years before broken down into water and carbon dioxide by the UV radiation from the sun. On Earth, methane is a by-product of biological activity and so this discovery implies the methane source might also be biological on Mars. If there is currently 33,000 tons of methane in the Martian atmosphere, that means 100 tons per year were produced over the 300 to 350 years. That is 300 kilograms per day and implies there is one or more sources able to produce these amounts of methane for a long period of time.The methane data is being analyzed by Physicist Vittorio Formisano, Ph.D., Principal Investigator of the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS) which is mounted on ESA's Mars Express Orbiter to detect methane. Dr. Formisano is based at the Institute of Physics and Interplanetary Science in Rome, Italy. But given the exciting discovery of methane in the Martian atmosphere, Dr. Formisano is now in Darmstadt, Germany, gathering more data from the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer in hopes that he will be able to find one or more sources of the methane by the end of April. I talked with him today in Darmstadt about possible methane sources, including biological life and volcanoes.